Volunteers from Chula Vista's Calvary Chapel church began informing Ukrainian refugees at a Tijuana camp that the Biden Administration will stop processing their refugee claims beginning Monday.
Vlad Fedoryshyn, a volunteer with the Calvary Chapel church, told the refugees that the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and the U.S. Embassy in Mexico had informed them that Ukrainian refugees would be accepted at the border until April 24.
The administration is launching a new program Monday to expedite their entry into the country.
"As of Monday, April 25, the project United for Ukraine (U4U), begins, which asks Ukrainians to use an application on their mobile to request refuge in the United States and then fly from the place where they are to airports in the United States," Fedoryshyn, said.
The U.S Embassy in Mexico said that Ukrainians who arrive at the San Ysidro border would not have a faster process than those who request from European countries. If they tried to cross through the ports of entry or between them, they would be sent back to Mexico to wait.
According to official data, about 15,000 Ukrainians have crossed the border from Tijuana.
Some volunteers will fly from Tijuana to Mexico City this weekend to speak with Ukrainians waiting to cross the border, and explain that should apply for refuge from Mexico starting Monday. Then, when they are accepted, they travel directly to the United States.
According to the volunteers, the camp, located in the gym of a sports center in Tijuana, will remain open until May 15, when they wait for the DHS to process the applications of the Ukrainians sheltered there.
